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Synthetic Insulation

I'm thinking of using Thinsulate or Primaloft for my quilt rather than down. Question is, Thinsulate is sold by width, does that means I don't have to create baffles? Next question is how to calculate how much Thinsulate and/or Primaloft would give me x temperature rating.

Also, I was thinking about using reflective fabric as the inner shell to reflect my heat back to me, has anyone done this before? Is condensation an issue using this fabric for this purpose?

Can't answer your questions concerning thinsulate/ primaloft as I haven't used either. As to the reflective fabric I have used the Pellon product Insulfleece. It is a perforated mylar sheet with fleece on both sides. It's not compressible but piece I use can be folded and rolled down to the size of a heiny pot. Adds maybe 10 to 15 degrees to your UQ. YMMV

Most of us end up poorer here but richer for being here. Olddog, Fulltime hammocker, 365 nights a year.

Don't believe that would work for a hammock as it is coated and they state "This material is not breathable, so it acts as a vapor barrier. If used in sleeping bag or quilt systems be sure you know how to manage moisture properly. We have been using this very effectively in making freezer bag cozies with Insultex or PrimaLoft as the insulation."

Most of us end up poorer here but richer for being here. Olddog, Fulltime hammocker, 365 nights a year.

I have some, but I haven't used it yet. Looks like good stuff, but a quick blow test suggests that it won't let moisture pass through as easily as regular 1.1 ripstop. For a first quilt that's likely to be good enough to stay in service for quite a while, I'd suggest 1.1 ripstop with Primaloft insulation.

Can't answer your questions concerning thinsulate/ primaloft as I haven't used either. As to the reflective fabric I have used the Pellon product Insulfleece. It is a perforated mylar sheet with fleece on both sides. It's not compressible but piece I use can be folded and rolled down to the size of a heiny pot. Adds maybe 10 to 15 degrees to your UQ. YMMV

Olddog...you say you fold it and pack it? Is it that durable?

Sounds like a great material for kwchannell89's project as it should breathe.

I have some of the reflective ripstop from the same place - I've wrapped up in it like it were a emergency blanket to compare the uh... 'reflective-ness' and it was okay.
(My body doesn't do good at radiant heat production so I may not be a good judge of that characteristic of the product - but it wasn't any worse of a product *to me* than a regular Mylar sheet)
It definitely was a vapor barrier though, quite comparable to a Mylar sheet (like SOL's Emergency Blanket).
I plan to use it as I would an Emergency Blanket in an Under Cover / Quilt setup, but rather than having it be a 'disposable' Emergency Blanket that I can pull out/put in, it will be sewn in as a part of the under quilt system that I'm making

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Sounds like a great material for kwchannell89's project as it should breathe.

G-Nut

It is fairly durable and the fleece coating on both sides seems to give it a bit of extra strength. The piece I have is around 45" x60" and is just laid on top of my UQ if needed. Memory failed me again and it is larger than I remembered, more like the size of a one lb coffee can or the small size of the 3 waterproof Outdoor Product bags from Walmart. Weight in the bag is 7.3 oz. For a hands on, some WM's with a fabric dept carry it or both Hancocks or Joanns.

Well, I was going make the Reflective Nylon the inner shell of the hammock and a breathable fabric as the outer shell. I know a lot of people on this forum as I comb through the threads uses ripstop nylon and down, but I was just thinking outside the box. Here the link for the Thinsulate: http://www.owfinc.com/fabrics.html

It says it sold by width, so I assumed I could sew it and make it just like the tutorial for Insulex on this forum?